My Teaching Strategies

Blog 2

It is difficult for me to imagine how I will be able to go into a class of high school aged students and expect them to automatically listen and respect what I have to say. I know this because I was a high school student once, and it was easy for my classmates and I to disregard what a substitute teacher or guest speaker had to say. I have always believed in the saying that respect is earned, not given, and I believe that this applies to academia not just for respect, but for attention as well. If I am going to walk into a class and get these students to listen to me, I will have to look back at my high school days to remember what made a teacher successful, as well as rely on the readings we’ve done in class so far. I have worked with elementary school students, but they were intrigued to see a high school student come into their class and read them stories. For high school students, they won’t be as easily stimulated by someone only a few years older than them. I will have to make this acknowledgment, let them know that even though I am not much older than them, I have experienced a completely different academic environment as a college junior. After establishing a solid ethos with them, I should try to connect with their interests and general attitudes so they are more likely to listen to and respect what I have to offer.

One lesson that I really connected with from Journeys Through Our Classroom was the fact that students may be struggling without the teachers even knowing about it. Alfredo and Hannah were struggling because they were mixed in with students completely different from them. This makes me realize that not all students are the same, therefore they cannot all be treated the same when it comes to academic instruction. Some require more care and attention to be successful, and there is nothing wrong with that, and they should realize there is nothing wrong with that. That is one major thing that I will strive to achieve when I enter the classroom.

2 thoughts on “My Teaching Strategies

  1. Great reflection on the importance of establishing an ethos in the classroom! Sure, some classrooms might be less receptive to guest speakers than others, but ultimately it’s up to you and whether or not you are able to build that ethos. Realizing that some students require different levels of care is certainly a first step to developing that ethos.

  2. Ben, I agree with Joe that ethos as well as the hidden curriculum are things we need to keep tabs on, regardless of what is “expected” of teachers in any classroom. We all have individual learning paths, but we also have to learn to function in a classroom culture, so there’s a balancing act that a teacher must register as we help students adapt and grow.

    MAJ Hodde

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